Classroom Practices in Mathematics: Effects on Elementary and Secondary School Students' Achievement in Mathematics in Region XII, Philippines

Abstract

Students from all levels (elementary to tertiary levels) regard mathematics as a difficult subject. This has been evident in their performances not only in the classroom but also in the local, national and international achievement tests. Students' difficulty in mathematics can be attributed to several factors, one of which is the teacher. The teacher has direct contact with students on a daily basis and therefore been considered to have a direct impact on students' achievement. Studies, such as that of Brophy and Good (1986), Hiebert (1999) and the National Research Council (1999) have found that teacher-level factors are the main contributing factors that influence students' performance. Hence, this study investigated whether teaching and assessment practices (collectively called classroom practices) have influenced students' achievement. Other teacher-level factors, such as teachers' attitudes towards teaching mathematics and efficacy beliefs in mathematics were also examined. School-level and student-level factors were also deemed to have a direct or indirect effect on teachers' classroom practices and students' achievement. This study employed a cross-sectional design. Since this study basically identified and investigated the factors that influence outcomes (e.g. students’ achievement), a quantitative research approach was therefore employed. Survey questionnaires used were first validated. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used in examining the scale structures, while item response theory (IRT) using Rasch model analysis was utilised to examine the scales at the item level. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to ascertain the causal relationship between the variables in each level. Since this study involves three levels of data, school-, teacher- and student- level, a multi-level analysis, particularly, Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was employed. Findings show that only teachers’ level of education and participation in professional development activities have significant effects on students’ achievement in mathematics. Surprisingly, both teachers' teaching practices and assessment practices did not appear to be significant predictors of students’ achievement. Results at the school-level show that school principals' management or leadership style has a direct positive influence on school climate for learning. School climate, in turn, provides a learning environment that enhances students learning, thus, increasing their performance. Moreover, students’ achievement in mathematics could also be affected by their attitudes towards mathematics, which are measured in this study in terms of their confidence in learning mathematics and usefulness of mathematics. Likewise, students’ beliefs about mathematics appeared to have a positive effect on mathematics achievement. It is interesting to note that students’ mathematics anxiety has no significant effect on their achievement. The findings of the study suggest that students' achievement in mathematics are significantly influenced by multi-level factors, either directly or indirectly. This likewise indicates that school principals, teachers, and students must all be engaged in maintaining a healthy learning environment. It would be beneficial for future research to investigate more deeply on the specific measures of teaching and assessment practices. Implications for educational policies, practice, theory and research are discussed.